Tutor
by KayMile
Summary: Naruto moves to California, but he soon learns he HAS to adjust. He signs up to help tutor, but when he gets paired with a potentially dangerous biker, his life turns chaotic and dangerous. Yaoi. SasuNaru. Rated M for suggestive themes and language.
1. Hello, California

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!**

**Summary: Naruto moves to California, but he soon learns he HAS to adjust. He signs up to help tutor, but when he gets paired with a potentially dangerous biker, his life turns chaotic and dangerous. Yaoi. SasuNaru. Rated M for suggestive themes and language.**

* * *

The beams of sunshine shone through the small window of a tiny two-bedroom apartment, accompanied by the sweet chirps of the Grasshopper Sparrows on an outside tree. It crept through the blinds of the smallest room, slowly stretching over the bed and to the headboard. Suddenly, a loud blaring interrupted the quite ideal tranquility. A loud groan accompanied it and it was soon shut off by an irritated hand.

"Oh, no, you don't," came the voice of an excited man, coming into the room. "You are not sleeping in today out of _all _days! Rise and shine!" The man's brown hair shines as he walks across the small bedroom, throwing back the sheets of the bed. An irritated, almost sad, groan met his exclamations. "No, up! C'mon, it's Moving Day!"

"No," came the short reply from the teenager curled up in the bed.

"Alright but I'll leave without you," the man warned, walking to the door taking hold of the knob. "If we are going to be in California by tomorrow, we need to leave soon. Naruto Uzumaki, I want to see you up, dressed, clean and ready by 9:30!" The door closed loudly, making Naruto bolt up in his bed, his blonde hair sticking out in every direction.

He pouted, his bottom lip protruding as he slowly climbed out of bed. It was the day. The day that he moved from his small Michigan town to the 'glamorous' town in California. Leaving in three hours, he would get a short road trip, a night at an inexpensive motel, and another day of driving. Goodbye to the Great Lakes, Goodbye to the cold weather. Goodbye to all of his friends. Goodbye, Michigan.

He slugged to his bathroom, his normally happy and boisterous personality had not yet kicked in. He was still halfway asleep in his mind, not completely satisfied with the way it was looking. It bounced right back up. Deciding to call it quits he slowly brushed his teeth. He looked over his reflection sighing. This was the last time he would be looking in his mirror.

He glanced around his bathroom, taking in the memories. He could see through the doorway where he had scrubbed the wall so hard twelve years ago to get the crayon off that he had drawn. He could see where there was a light stain on the carpet where he and his friends had decided six years ago to experiment with dropping candies in sodas. Naruto stroked the counter subconsciously, slowly walking back to his room to go change.

He picked out dark grey skinny jeans, an orange t-shirt and a dark purple hoodie. He took out a pair of black Vans and put them on. Looking his reflection over, he nodded in approval to the outfit he had picked for the day. _The _day.

He put the last of his small belongings that weren't in the moving van already into their small Prius. Naruto walked right past Iruka who was waiting in the living room, and into his bedroom. He looked around slowly, his eyes glistening. The memories of his childhood for the past seventeen years echoes through the walls and in his heart. He sat softly on the edge of his bead, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. He just sat staring at the wall, not even taking notice when Iruka leaned up against the doorframe.

"Are you going to miss it, Naruto?" Iruka asked softly, smiling a small smile of comfort. Naruto just nodded quietly, not taking his eyes away from the walls. He took in every flow, every crack, every fiber of his childhood.

"I'll miss it, too," Iruka sighed, trying to keep himself from thinking about it too much as well. He took a seat by Naruto, careful not to disturb his closure. He wrapped his arms around Naruto and he leaned into Iruka, a shaky sigh escaping. "I know moving is hard. But think of all the positives! You can have a completely new start, an opportunity to completely reinvent yourself."

"But I don't _want _to reinvent myself," Naruto whispered. "I want to be me. I want to be me _here."_

"I know, sweetie, I know," Iruka shut his eyes tightly, rocking the seventeen year-old back and forth in his arms. "But just think about the _beach_. _The beach_, Naruto! You know you love the beach!"

"I know _you_ love the beach," Naruto laughed loudly, pulling away from Iruka, smiling half-heartedly.

"Yes, I do," Iruka winked. "But so do _you_. And the weather will be nice and warm. And you know we don't have that much around here. And we can go to boardwalks, and you can bring some of the thousands of new friends that I _know_ you're going to make. How does that sound?"

"Well, I _do_ like boardwalks," Naruto shrugged, peering up at Iruka jokingly.

"That's the spirit!" he patted Naruto's back and hugged him tightly again. "Now, c'mon. The moving truck is waiting outside."

"Alright," he sighed sadly, about to follow Iruka out of the door.

"Wait, make sure you have everything!" he reminded Naruto, paranoid. Iruka went outside and waited for Naruto so he could lock the door and give the key to the landlord. Naruto searched the two bedrooms, living room, small kitchenette, the bathroom, and found nothing except the tube of his favorite chapstick. He was about to reach for the doorknob of the front door, but stopped himself. He turned around, took a good last look at where he grew up, and smiled.

"Bye," he whispered.

He turned and left the Michigan apartment forever.

* * *

_Make a U-turn_, the GPS's monotone voice repeated for the umpteenth time, earning a groan from both Naruto and Iruka. _Make a U-turn, then turn right._

"THANK YOU!" Iruka said loudly, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

_Make a U-turn._

"SHUT UP!"

"Iruka, calm down," Naruto tried to sooth, "if you're having trouble with it, just turn it off."

"I can't!" He cried. "I don't have a map! This is the only way we'll get to the motel by 7:00!"

"You know I could just access a map on my S4, right?" Naruto smiled, holding up his phone with a smirk.

"Oh. I guess that'd work."

_Make a U-turn_.

"OH MY GOD!" It was Naruto this time. He quickly reached up and switched it off. He pulled out the phone and quickly logged on to the internet. He accessed road maps and Iruka relentlessly thanked him. They ignored the odd flickering the GPS screen kept doing every now and then, making up funny stories about it being haunted for entertainment.

_**5 HOURS LATER**_

"Naruto? Naruto, c'mon, wake up. We're at the motel."

Naruto's eyes fluttered open, he immediately took notice of his aching back as he sat up straighter in his seat. The sun had disappeared and been replaced with a dark, starry sky; although it was hard to see them with all of the street lights and tall buildings. As Iruka drove around looking for a parking spot, the light slid and danced across the inside of the car, making Naruto want desperately to go back to sleep. He hadn't been very sunny that day, which was out of the ordinary for him. The heavy weight of moving halfway across the country had weighed down on his happy spirit.

Iruka parked and they quickly went inside and checked in, Naruto only half-awake to realize that he was even walking. They slid their room key card into the door slot, and Naruto instantly collapsed on the bed and left the unloading baggage to Iruka.

* * *

The next day, Naruto was instantly bouncing when his internal clock woke him up. He always loved sleeping in motel beds. They were always so comfortable and soft whileIruka, on the other hand, was a walking zombie when Naruto woke him up. They had obviously switched roles. Naruto was ready with his radiant smile. When Naruto Uzumaki sulks, he doesn't sulk for long. He was just a naturally giddy person. It was unnatural for him to be down.

They pulled out onto the highway, soon followed by the moving truck.

_**5 HOURS LATER**_

Naruto paused the music on his iPod when he noticed the car was slowing down. He looked around and saw palm trees gracing every other corner, tall and sleek buildings, and what appeared to be a warm breeze blowing softly every now and then.

"I'm going to get gas," Iruka told him, pulling to a stop and stepping out. Naruto rolled down the window and stuck his hand out to feel the breeze. It was warm and felt fantastic. Maybe this move wouldn't be too bad after all. Before he knew it, Iruka was sticking his head back in the car to tell Naruto that he was going inside to buy a thing or two.

"Alright," Naruto answered. He watched Iruka's retreating figure and glanced around, taking care to study his new home as he listened to music. But suddenly, his viewing session was interrupted by loud rumblings. He glanced to the sky, but it was as blue as possible and there wasn't a cloud in sight. But the source of the sound soon became apparent.

Four motorcycles screeched into the gas station's driveway, making him pause his music and watch them with astounded eyes. He'd never seen hard-core bikers before. They didn't have anything like that in Michigan. He watched as they roughly parked their bikes and slowly pulled off their helmets, shocking him. They weren't hard-core bikers, they were _kids_. Not kids exactly, but teenagers that looked about his age. Except for one that looked older than the rest, maybe in his mid-twenties.

One was a scrawny red-head but he had a dangerous look about him. His arms were covered in tattoos, and he watched as he popped a cigarette into his mouth. Naruto sure did hope he was doing that legally! And even if he was of legal age, smoking was harmful and a bad choice. When he reached up to run a hand through his hair, Naruto noticed that he was missing a finger on his left hand.

Another was the mid-twenties man who had dark hair and a rugged beard. He was obviously leading the group, his stature and bike outshining the others. He popped a cigarette in his mouth, and Naruto knew that there was no help for him. His leather jacket had metal spikes on the shoulders, which none of the others had. He muttered something to the others and walked into the store, and Naruto instantly muttered a small prayer for Iruka's safety.

The third was an extremely muscular black boy, who had an odd baby face, but his muscles distracted from that. He had a tattoo of a skull on his arm, it's mouth appearing to open and close as his elbow moved up and down. Naruto shuttered. That was just creepy. He was starting to miss Michigan again. A completely skull-tattooed-biker-free place.

The fourth boy was certainly his age, that much Naruto could tell. He was tall and thin, but still well-built shoulders and torso. He was the only one with a long-sleeved leather jacket on out of all of them, leaning up against his bike and laughing at something the red-head had said. He had black hair, flipping out at the ends and a surprisingly nice smile. Unlike the other two, his teeth were white and perfectly straight. The guy's eyes were also a beautiful midnight black, he noticed, when the sun hit them just right. He obviously didn't smoke, although the look of him was still not inviting. He was… good-looking Naruto supposed, but he was obviously Bad Boy through and through. Not okay.

He heard a loud chuckle, and the red-head was pointing to a small dog digging through a nearby trashcan. They whistled to it, and Naruto was actually beginning to smile when the dog trotted obediently to the group, it's tail wagging was about to clap for the bikers, but then what happened next ran his blood cold.

The red-head _kicked it_.

A wave of sadness overtook Naruto and he watched with horror as the dog backed away whimpering with its ears back, looking even dirtier and more broken-spirited. Naruto watched with horror as all three of them surrounded it, and he heard more disturbing sounds that brought tears to his eyes.

That's _it_.

He wasn't just going to sit there and let these three _jerks_ carry out _animal abuse_! He had to do something about this. Before he knew it, he was opening the car door, slamming it shut, and stomping over to the group. His Doc Martens stomping on the concrete, causing the three to turn around as he got closer. They instantly turned away from the dog to face him with big, devious smiles on their faces. Naruto was too disgusted to be scared as they wolf-whistled when he approached.

"Hey, babe," the red-head winked, putting his hands in his pockets coolly. Naruto was on the verge of puking. "Can I, uh, do anything for you?" That pushed him over the edge.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" he scolded angrily, shocking all three of them for a moment. They looked back and forth between each other and looked back to him, a scarier look in their eyes. Naruto didn't let it shake him for more than a moment. "You can't just _kick_ and _hit_ a defenseless little puppy! You do this for FUN? You three are _sick_."

"Oh, _feisty_," the big baby-faced one growled, winking at Naruto. He shook it off.

"You should be _ashamed of yourselves_," Naruto yelled, picking up the dog and scratching behind it's ears. It stopped struggling after it realized he meant no harm. "If you have to take out your horrible, fallen apart lives on a poor little dog, then it shows how hopeless, immature, and _idiotic_ you are."

They stopped eying him suggestively and began to look angry, but he didn't care that much. He wasn't going to just stand there and watch three jerks kick a dog for fun. They deserve to be stood up to and set straight.

The red-head began to take slow steps towards him, causing him to step back slowly. "Did… _you_… just call us…? Oh, sweetheart, I'd shut that pretty little mouth of yours if I were you." His voice was a low, raspy growl. Naruto's heart skipped a beat.

"Look, babe," the boy his age came close to him, causing Naruto to tense up. He was really starting to wish he had remembered to bring pepper spray or something with him. He placed a hand on Naruto's lower arm, making him wince and shiver. He noticed and smirked, the smug look appearing to be familiar to him, "you're obviously new around here, we'll pretend that you didn't say that since you're new, but we don't get talked to like that. Especially by…" he seemed to stop himself before he continued, since it was obvious every second that Naruto was shrinking back into the happy, innocent Naruto he usually was. "…Just _don't_."

"Naruto?" came a hesitant voice from behind him. Naruto looked over his shoulder, wincing, to see Iruka staring, shocked, at the group. At seeing the dog in Naruto's arms, Iruka looked even more confused.

"Run back to Daddy," the red-head smirked, earning chuckles from the other two. Naruto, not knowing what else to do, turned with a dignified huff and walked to a worried Iruka with his head held high.

"What in the world -?"

"I'll explain it later."

"Are we taking the dog?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then."

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**Whew! *wipes away sweat* **

**Finally got this monster out! I hope you guys like it and if you do please give me a little review, and if you don't like it, tell me why! I respond to ALL reviews.**


	2. Home Sweet Home

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto T.T**

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"So, you _got out of the car_ and went up to three potentially dangerous California bikers? And you left the car unlocked and wide open?" Iruka replayed the events that Naruto had told him in shock. "What were you thinking? Naruto, you are a smart boy. Why in the world would you think it would be okay to go _up_ to them?"

"They were kicking Kyuubi, Iruka!"

"Oh, you named the dog, now?"

"Yeah!"

"Don't name it, it makes you get attached."

"Can we keep him, Iruka? _Please_? He's homeless and is obviously abused and is eating out of _trashcans_. _Trashcans_, Iruka," Naruto begged, sticking out his bottom lip and peering up through his lashes. He held the little grey dog up by his face, the dog imitating his expression as if it realized the importance of this, too.

"I'll think about it," Iruka said, almost so quickly that he was hard to understand, "but that doesn't excuse the fact of what you _did_. You can't do that, Naruto! Do you understand that?"

"Yeah, yeah, _Mom_, won't happen again," Naruto said dismissively. "Can I keep him? Kyuubi said he'll be good!" He smiled persuasively.

"Oh, he talks now?"

"Yeah…"

"Fine. But it's _your_ responsibility to potty-train him and take care of him. The minute you start neglecting your responsibilities -"

"Yeah, yeah, got it, Iruka. I love you! Thanks!"

Naruto was about to continue rambling when Iruka stopped him short. He turned his head to Naruto slowly, smiling gently. "Naruto, say hello to our new home."

Naruto obeyed, not expecting much but a small bungalow or cabin. What he saw made his voice hitch in his throat. He sighed, a huge face-eating smile overtaking his face.

A long, straight, beautiful driveway greeted them, lined by trees on each side. They were all beautiful and a lush green, perfectly trimmed and exactly the same size. The wind made them rustle and the sun shone brightly through the cracks between the leaves. The grass was a bright green and healthy, stretching out for long distances behind the trees on each side. A beautiful white picket fence separated the grass and trees, making it orderly but still natural. They drove down the driveway slowly, both taking in where they would now live.

"How many acres is this, Iruka?" Naruto had to know, in awe.

"Uh… I want to say about, uh, twenty."

"Wow, really?" Naruto grinned, clapping his hands together in his lap. He had always wanted to live somewhere with lots of land and places to explore. They drove further, the lines of trees disappearing and revealing old-looking trees winding out of the ground and green grass. One tree particularly caught Naruto's attention. It was larger than all of the others, the bark a dark brown and flawlessly rough. But what sat atop the green leaves was what made his heart thump for joy.

A simple, box-shaped tree house sat in the middle of up-winding branches, the limbs twisting around it like a giant hand. A small rope ladder led up to it. Naruto smiled when he saw there was a purposefully cut hole in the roof, for stargazing or to stare at the clouds. He couldn't wait to go inside… if Iruka wasn't paranoid about it falling through. Naruto could already predict that he would spend many afternoons and nights inside of it.

They continued to drive forward, Naruto's excitement growing with every moment. More trees, but not planted in a perfectly straight line, surrounded them on each side again, becoming a little darker and more thick. But out of the blue, they cut off and a huge stretch of land opened up. A single, simple but fairly large white house sat in the middle, surrounded by beautiful landscaping. Pink flowery bushes encircled the circular driveway that wound in a loop in front of the home.

The car came to a gentle stop, Naruto instantly jumping out to take in the beautiful sight. The loud rumbling the moving truck behind them almost startled him, his new home making heim forget the world for a moment.

"C'mon, Naruto," Iruka beckoned him, motioning for Naruto to come inside with him. Naruto was only too happy to abide.

The moment they entered, Naruto didn't even wait for Iruka. He started running around to look at all of the new rooms. The dining room was a light green, the table dark and shining with an oval shape. A large chandelier hung from the elaborate ceiling and centered the antique furniture against the walls. He moved on.

The living room was small, but beautiful. The walls were a light crème and the couch and loveseat were very Victorian-looking. The floor was a shining dark wood. A maybe 30-inch flat screen was on a small table, looking almost out of place with all of the old furniture. Naruto went to the next room.

An average-sized kitchen was what he encountered next. The walls were a bright yellow, with classic brown cabinets and marble countertop. Over the silver sink was a large window, the top portion stained glass. The floor was clean white tile. There was a small table not far from the door, probably for quick meals or food preparation. These were all of main rooms downstairs, excluding the small bathroom and entryway. Naruto decided to go upstairs and survey.

The stairway was a dark wood and the steps were small, showing that they were probably the original in the house. Naruto met a long hallway with white and green-striped wallpaper, making it look even longer. There were four doors lining the walls, two on each side. On peering in, Naruto found that one was a fairly large bathroom, complete with a tub and shower. He shut the door quietly and walked across the hall to the next door. Opening it, he found instantly that this must be his new room; it wasn't large, it wasn't small. The floor was a dark, shining wood like most of the home. It had a double bed with posts, a large window on the right of it, and a mirror with a pretty stool. The light fixture was like a mini chandelier, making him feel fancy.

After trying out the bed, he went across the hall and peeked inside; it was Iruka's bedroom. A large queen-sized bed with a red bedspread and a net over it made him sigh. It was magical. The large window on the opposite side from him was the biggest window he had seen yet, large, heavy-looking beige curtains shaping it. Naruto also noticed a small bathroom to his left that had obviously been added recently and a 40-inch TV. Sighing with jealousy, he closed the door and continued.

At the very last door, Naruto was interested to see what this room could be. Maybe a guest bedroom? But when he turned the knob, it stopped short and the door wouldn't budge. He thought maybe there was something wrong with the doorknob, so he checked to see if it shook. It was in perfect working order. His brows furrowed and he tried again, rattling the door. Then he tried putting all of his weight against it. Still nothing. This puzzled him. Why would there be a locked room beside his bedroom? Especially when you buy a new house, aren't all of the doors supposed to be unlocked? What puzzled Naruto even more was that there was no key hole.

He walked down the stairs, careful to not ensure his own death by tripping, which unfortunately was a common occurrence for him. He found Iruka in the living room, directing the movers.

"Hey, Iruka?" Naruto began.

"Yeah?" Iruka asked, not taking his eyes off of the movers.

"Is there supposed to be a locked room?"

"Locked room?" He still wasn't looking at Naruto.

"Yeah. There's a room upstairs beside my room that's locked. No key hole or anything."

"Hmm. Well I'm sure it's just the attic or something. Nothing to worry about."

Naruto could tell that that was all he was getting out of Iruka at this point. Settling on it was the attic, he asked if he could help with anything. Iruka shook his head and mumbled something that sounded like 'too far to the left'. Naruto shook his head and told Iruka he was going outside to look around. Iruka nodded, probably not listening to a word he was saying.

He went out of the front door and picked a flower from one of the many bushes. He smelled it and placed it in his pocket, smiling from ear to ear. He walked around the driveway and into the grass, hoping he remembered where that big tree was with the tree house. It wasn't hard to miss as it turned out, climbing up and happy that it was stable. Naruto tested the wood with his foot gingerly to make sure it was sturdy before he put all of his weight on it. It appeared to be fine. Naruto stepped inside gently, not hearing a single creak or break. He bent and laid down on his back, underneath the hole in the roof. He sighed and looked up with pleasure, watching the white clouds that had recently appeared. They moved slowly, twisting in forms that left his imagination wandering. He took a moment to glance around, noticing it was noticeably plain. Just wood walls. Not painted or anything. Not personalized in any way. But he almost liked it. It was relaxing and let his mind wonder about the people who lived here before he did. It was simplistic.

After lying down in the tree house for maybe an hour or so, almost falling asleep, he made himself get up so Iruka wouldn't go looking for him. Naruto descended down the rope and ran to the house in a hurry, hoping against hope that Iruka wouldn't be worried about why he had been gone for so long. Luck was on his side that day.

"Have fun?" Iruka asked.

"Yeah," Naruto smiled. "There's a tree house in this really old tree not too far away from the house. It's got a hole in the ceiling so you can see the clouds and stars and stuff. It's so cool!"

"That was dangerous, Naruto," Iruka said instantly. "That wood could have given out and you could have fallen through!"

"I didn't just waltz in, Iruka," he rolled his eyes with a laugh. "I was careful. It's fine."

"Okay," Iruka, turning back to the food he was working on. "Aren't you glad this house came furnished? Took a lot of the time and labor out of moving, don't you think?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised we needed a truck for all of our little stuff."

"Well, all of our pictures are hung everywhere and we are officially moved in. Do you like the house?"

Naruto grinned dreamily. "I love it." he asked a question he had been wondering for a while. "How old is this place, Iruka?"

"How old…" he contemplated, cutting up the chicken he was preparing. "How old… I want to say about 130."

"Really?" Naaruto's eyes widened.

"Uh huh," Iruka smiled. "Cool, isn't it? I'm shocked the price was as low as it was. But a lot of it was that my new job will be paying a lot more." Iruka couldn't help but grin a little greedily and Naruto laughed.

"Maybe this move won't be so bad, after all," Naruto said, hugging Iruka. Iruka hugged back.

"When you start school on Monday, I know you will make so many friends. Naruto, you are such a great person all-around. Don't be nervous, alright?"

"Okay, I'll try," Naruto shrugged. His heart pounded at the thought of what awaited him on the beginning of that fateful day. "Tell me when dinner is ready."

"Will do."

Naruto sat down on the couch in the living room, turning on the television and surfing the channels. He leaned back against the cushions and closed his eyes. This was where he would live for the rest of his high school career. He had better get used to it.

Little did he know that there was a couple of more surprises coming his way that he would have to get used to, also.

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**So I'm really glad you guys are reading my story! It means a lot to me.**

**I will be updating everyday from today till tuesday. That is when my little 5 day school break ends (started thursday after school ends tuesday). After that I will be updating every Friday-Sunday. Expect an update then unless otherwise specified. Other than that I'm gonna gooo (haha Youtube refrence).**

**Okay!**

**Oh! ANd sorry for the her/she thing. I was originally writing this for another show but i saw how much SasuNaru potential it had and I just had to XD!**

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REVIEW RESPONSES:

Guest(1): I'm glad you liked it! 감사합니다!

Yaoiforever: Yeah, sorry about that, but I'm glad you liked it!

Cindy: Thankyou! I haven't really thought about that o.O


	3. Hello, I'm Your Tutor

**Ahhh! I'm so sorry I didn't update yesterday or the day before. I had been surprisingly busy which I wasn't expecting. **

**SO to keep my promise, today's update is actually three chapters in one. That's right. 24 pages in Microsoft Word and 9,784 words! The line brakes will show where one chapter ends and the other begins! **

**I have worked on this all day so I hope you guys enjoy. And also please review! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!**

* * *

"… Are you going to get out?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered.

Silence.

"When?"

"Soon."

Silence.

"You're going to be late."

"No, I'm not."

Silence.

"Naruto, _go_!"

Naruto jumped at his sharp tone. "Alright, Iruka, gosh!"

He had been sitting in the passenger seat of the Prius, watching all of the students passing by attentively. A couple of people acted like they never saw it, others glanced at it and looked away, and some were watching it curiously and waiting to see who got out. There was a short brick fence circling out from the entrance on either side, serving as a meeting place and seats for students. Naruto sighed and looked down at his outfit: a black v-neck with a dark blue jacket that was open, complimented by white skinny jeans with orange Nike sneakers.

After yet another annoyed look from Iruka who needed to get to work, Naruto sighed and opened the door, his eyes darting around to see who was watching. Only some were, most people minding their own business. He put his foot on the ground, soon standing to his full height and closing the door behind him. Iruka sped away quickly, not even giving Naruto a chance to wave goodbye. He pouted for a moment before turning around to face the crowd of students outside and his new high school.

There was one thing he immediately noticed: this was nothing like Michigan. Sure, there were the cliques like cheerleaders, nerds, football jocks, etc. But never like this. There weren't so many Goths, there weren't so many Druggies, there weren't hardly any bikers. But they were all here. Bad boys, cheerleaders, football players, nerds, theater lovers, gangsters, drunks, the girls who didn't care who touched them where, the shy ones, the bossy ones, the skaters, the surfers, _all of them_. He had no idea where he would fit into all of this chaos.

A couple of eyes followed him as he walked slowly, books in arm, towards the doors. He tried to make sure he came off as friendly, but for some reason he had an odd desire to please his peers. It was human nature of course, but back in his hometown, he was just himself and people either loved him or hated him for it, and he was okay with that. But here, he already felt the pressure for people to approve of him. But with all of the different social groups, he knew that wouldn't be possible. Nevertheless, he held his head high and tried to ignore the curious eyes and murmurs.

Throughout the day, Naruto realized that the actual _school_ part of school wasn't that foreign after all. There were the fun teachers, the strict teachers, the teachers that just didn't care, and the teachers that just loved to hear the groaning of students when they assigned homework; just like back home. His fellow students, however, were so different that he could barely comprehend. They acknowledged he was new, but unlike back home, none of them took a particular interest in trying to be his friend. In Michigan everyone wanted to know everything about you, they would talk to you, then you would just subconsciously fall into the clique you were meant to be in.

Well, people didn't _completely_ ignore him. Guys tried to make their moves.

And he gently declined.

He was still adjusting. It was just his first day. He needed time to… _settle_. And none of them appeared to be his type. None of them seemed very nice; just the stereotypical teenage guy who only seemed interested in looks. He was attractive, and that's all they saw. No personality or the person he was. Just interested in getting the gain and nothing else. He hadn't really expected anything different, to be honest.

What really made him sad was the lack of desire to learn in the student body. There were the students that _wanted_ to learn, like him, but not many of them. Most were only doodling in notebooks or… other things. He could have sworn he saw some white powder being exchanged between two guys in the back, but he was honestly just too scared to say anything. Naruto Uzumaki doesn't get involved in those kind of things. He's tried to prevent himself from meddling. He has always had a problem with that.

At the very last period of the day, Naruto didn't pay much attention himself to class. He ignored a few of the looks being sent his way and thought about what he could do to make this a better place. Everyone could get more excited in the academic area of things if maybe there was some kind of program to better the school. That's what he'd do! He'd sign up for a club to help the school. That's what he'd do directly after school!

The bell rung, and after walking quickly past a set of boys and girls who had been glancing at him the entire class period, he headed to the office. Naruto sighed as he listened to the silence of the hallway next to the offices and it made the thud of his shoes seem loud. Just as he was about to open the door, it flew towards his face, making him fall back and nearly stumble.

He was about to unnecessarily apologize to the person who had almost opened the door in his face, but the air of the person who stepped out made him suddenly wary. A tall, slim, but sturdy guy with black hair wearing dark colors collided with him, almost making him drop his books. Naruto glanced up, and immediately decided not to say a word to him. His face was cloudy, angry, set; and somewhat familiar. He was clearly not in the mood. The guy didn't even glance at him or bother to say sorry, he just kept walking, almost stomping, with fists clenched. Naruto gulped and looked after him, more determined now more than ever to help the student body.

"Excuse me?" Naruto asked the secretary as he stepped into the small office. "Hi, um, I was just wondering if there were any clubs for educational betterment for the school?"

The woman glanced at him, surprised, and almost as if he were crazy. "Let me guess, you are new?"

"Yes…"

"That explains it," she laughed, putting down her pen and peering over her glasses. "The day there will be a club for 'educational betterment' is going to be after I'm buried under this ground."

Naruto's brow raised as his spirit broke. So much for that idea.

"_But_," the woman mentioned significantly, "the closest thing I can give you to that is a _program_." Naruto's head rose. "There is a tutoring program for students that need help with their grades. What is your GPA?"

"A four-point-O," he said immediately, smiling.

"Sign up if you'd like," the secretary grinned, placing a sheet in front of him on the counter. Naruto couldn't grab a pen and sign up fast enough. "They are meeting tomorrow in room D6, right beside what should be your English room," she said, turning back to her computer.

"Thank you!" Naruto thanked, turning and walking back out of the office with a face-eating smile on his face. He skipped to the door and thought, _Maybe this year won't be completely horrible!_

He bounded to the car, hopping in and ignoring Iruka's shocked facial expression at his behavior.

"So, how was your first day of school?" he asked a little weakly.

"It's great now," Naruto cheered. "C'mon, I want to get home and see Kyuubi."

"Okay…" Iruka cleared his throat. He shifted the car in drive and slowly pulled out of the school's campus. "So, what has you so cheery? More than usual, I mean."

"It's just my first day and I am already certain that I am going to make the school a better place," Naruto smiled dreamily, sighing and clasping his hands together.

"Really?" Iruka asked, not sure why he was surprised. "What are you going to do? Volunteer for office hours? Help out teachers after school?"

"Nope," Naruto shook his head, still grinning, "I signed up to tutor people who need help academically. In the long run, I bet I'll raise my person's GPA by a lot, and maybe even their SAT scores!"

"Good for you, Naruto," Iruka said half-heartedly, and Naruto noticed.

"What?" he asked, his voice slightly exasperated. What could Iruka find wrong with being a responsible tutor?

"Nothing," he said quickly. "But, you need to realize that this isn't Michigan."

"What do you mean?"

"In some cases, it _will_ be like Michigan and the people in the tutoring program will be people who just need help understanding a subject or two," Iruka began. "But… Naruto, _a lot_ of them will be… ones that have trouble in school because they _are_ trouble."

Naruto's smile faltered and his brows creased. "Iruka, you are making California sound like it's a jailhouse."

"No, you know that's not what I mean," he rolled his eyes. "But I've heard some stories from people at work today. A lot of people at the school with problems _are_ problems, dear."

"I'm sure I can handle it."

"I have no doubt about that." He didn't sound completely truthful. "But you are used to associating with sweet, honor rolling people like yourself. Not everyone is like that. Especially if you get stuck with a guy. Be _careful_. Always make sure you two aren't alone with no one around, because -"

"_Iruka_!"

"You can never be too careful!"

"Oh my God, Iruka!"

"I'm just thinking about your -"

"_BE QUIET_, please. Iruka, stop."

"Sorry."

"You'll get me paranoid."

"Sorry."

Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes, cupping his chin in his hand and staring out the window at the passing palm trees and large buildings.

"So… did you make any friends today?"

"… Um, yeah," Naruto stuttered, trying not to sound antisocial.

"Well? What were they like?"

"He was really nice," Naruto began to fabricate the person in his mind. "We didn't talk much, but um… he did help me find some of my classes. He had short brown hair and brown eyes."

"What was his name?"

"K-Kiba."

"Oh! You should invite him over sometime."

"We didn't talk _that_much, Iruka."

"Did you sit with anyone at lunch?"

"Yeah."

"… And?"

"K-Kiba."

"I thought you two didn't talk much?"

"We didn't! We, uh, just sat together at lunch. And he helped me find my classes. That's it."

"Well you should keep talking to him. He seems nice. I bet you two could be great friends. I'd love to meet him."

"Yeah. Sure, Iruka."

Naruto bit his lip and looked worriedly out of the window. He hated lying to Iruka, and he was never really any good at it, but he supposed that he was so determined to make him happy that his voice didn't go up a couple of octaves. Naruto's main goal in life was to make others happy, and at many times it made him forget himself. Here he was, on his first day, already trying to make the school a better place for academics and lying to Iruka to make him perhaps adjust to California even better.

Eventually the car pulled into the starting-to-be-familiar line of trees, and Naruto began to daydream and think about what Iruka had said. What if he was right? What if the person he got put with _was_ a trouble-maker, a danger? Someone who didn't want to learn? What if they took advantage of his happy personality and eager-to-please disposition and blew him off? What was he to do?

And he most definitely did not want to go to high school and not have any friends. He needed to try and be a little more social tomorrow. He knew he had it in him; heck, he was the most talkative person in his grade back in Michigan. Naruto was determined to let out his inner jabber box and try to make an, _at least_, acquaintance the next day.

They pulled into the round driveway and the car was parked, and Naruto was quick to scoop Kyuubi into his arms and set off to the tree house. Not even bothering to slip off his shoes, he held a protesting dog in his arms as he climbed the rope. He reached the top and released his puppy, trudging to the spot where the late afternoon sunlight poured in and lying down. Kyuubi barked and whined, not liking being in such an unfamiliar place and so high up, but Naruto called him over to him and soothed him, letting him lay down on top of his outstretched arm. He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his blonde hair. He thought about everything that had happened that day and his odd desire to please his new peers. He was usually so independent and not particularly concerned with what other people thought. Naruto didn't know why he suddenly cared. Perhaps it just came along with the insecurity of living in a new place. He wasn't sure.

Naruto gazed at the slowly moving clouds, smiling as the warm sun hit his arms, legs, and face. Kyuubi seemed to enjoy it too, turning on his back with his tongue hanging out, making Naruto laugh. There were pluses with California, sure, but nothing would ever replace home in his heart, that he was positive of. He laid there for hours, thinking about things and humming, watching as the clouds turned to stars, twinkling and winking at him. He was careful to make sure he didn't fall into a slumber, Iruka most likely to turn hysterical if he didn't come inside for a while.

He awoke the sleeping Kyuubi, carrying him as he carefully backed down the ladder. Running as fast as he could across the healthy, soft grass, Naruto rushed to the house, putting down Kyuubi along the way and letting him run by his side. He shoved open the door and let his puppy in with him, breathing heavily. Iruka looked up, alarmed.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly. Naruto answered through breaths.

"Just trying to get inside before it got too dark, relax, Iruka," he laughed slightly, taking a seat at the small kitchen table. "What's for dinner?"

"Not sure, maybe some _California_ rolls?" he joked, turning to Naruto and sticking out his tongue. Naruto laughed and nodded. He rose from his seat and walked over the counter.

"Here, I'll help you," he smiled, taking the knife from Iruka's hands. He got some veggies out of the fridge and began to cut them up. They worked on dinner together, laughing and listening as they told each other about their day. Well, Naruto listened as _Iruka_ talked about his day. He tried not to say much.

The next day would be different, he could feel it.

Naruto awoke the next morning tired, but chipper. He pulled on a red skinny jeans, matching red top, black vans, and a white jacket. He looked in the mirror and was happy with the way he looked. He rushed down the stairs and grabbed a Pop Tart and hopped in the car with a sleepy and distraught Iruka.

"Have fun at school," Iruka yawned when they arrived, slowly pulling away when Naruto stepped out. While walking towards the school doors, he noticed that he was receiving more stares than the day before. Word had probably gotten around the school that there was a new person, and who knew what they were saying about him. He walked by a couple making out behind the edge of lockers, wrinkling his nose as he walked down the hallway a few more steps and opening his locker to retrieve his books. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, looking forward to the end of the day when he would get to help someone become a better student.

His first four periods went by quickly, making him happy. He couldn't wait until lunch. That was when Naruto would be able to pull out his inner Talker. The natural world knew that he had it inside of him; there was no way that it shouldn't come out soon. It was lunch time, and he was determined to sit with someone that looked welcoming and make a new friend. Naruto Uzumaki was a person who _always_ made friends, who always had someone to talk to and help. He didn't do the whole 'being alone' thing. It didn't feel right.

"Can I have potatoes with chicken, please?" Naruto asked politely, holding out his tray for the lunch lady to fill. The large woman just looked at him, scooped a spoonful of each (how he got a spoonful of _chicken_, he'd never know) and plopped them on his plate. Naruto kept a persevering smile on his face as he stared at the gush, looking back up at the woman who was looking at him, as if daring him to disagree with it. Naruto kept smiling until he turned around to where the woman couldn't see him, his smile fading immediately as he looked for a table that looked welcoming. As in, a table with _people_. His eyes scanned the cafeteria, trying to judge whether or not sitting here or there would be a good idea.

Table of people (guys or girls) wearing tons of make up and black. Nope. They wouldn't like him much.

Table of pretty girls in bright red cheerleading outfits. Some were even winking at watched to see how they looked at the table of girls beside them who were _not_ wearing cheer uniforms: daggers. No, most of them looked mean. Next.

A lot of guys wearing baggy clothes and laughing loudly, beside them girls wearing flashy and revealing clothes were at another table. No, he was _not_ the pimp-type. Not to stereotype anyone, but… next table!

Rowdy class clowns.

Rambunctious football players.

Emos.

WHERE?

He was starting to look a little strange just standing there staring at everyone, so he quickly sat down at the table nearest him. Self-conscious, he looked around to make sure no one was really staring at him. Jealously, Naruto watched the table of cheerleaders laughing loudly at something one of the football players had come over to tell them. Suddenly, he heard a throat clear.

"Oh, hey!" he said quickly to the boy sitting across from him, whom he hadn't even noticed. He looked around to make sure that he didn't miss anyone else. He hadn't. In fact, they were the only ones at the table. "Do you, um, mind if I sit with you?"

"_You_ want to sit with… me?" the boy repeated incredulously, pointing from Naruto to himself.

"Um, yeah," Naruto laughed, smiling his 100-watt smile. The boy seemed momentarily dumbfounded. He scratched his short brown hair.

"Okay," he said skeptically, looking back down to his food and taking a bite of his sandwich.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"You just… you're that new boy, right?" his new tablemate asked, his brows raising.

"I guess," Naruto shrugged.

"Are you or aren't you?"

"I am," he said, a little shocked at the boys straight-forwardness.

"You just seemed more like the popular type. Why aren't you sitting over there with them?" the boy asked, assertive.

Naruto gaped for a moment. "I… just… don't think I'd fit in over there."

The mystery boy's eyes searched his for a moment, as if scrutinizing for truth, then lessened. Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as the odd feeling went away.

"Okay," the brown haired boy shrugged his shoulders, taking another bite of his food.

Naruto reminded himself before he became shy again that he was here to _make friends_. Well, _a_ friend. He instantly struck up conversation.

"So, uh, I'm Naruto!" he said a little loudly, making the boy jump and Naruto blush embarrassedly. The boy glared at him for a moment before mumbling.

"Kiba," he muttered. The boy's annoyance seemed to radiate, making Naruto frown and unhappy. Suddenly, Naruto froze, biting his lip. His mind seemed to momentarily switch to another time.

"_So… did you make any friends today?"_

"… _Um, yeah."_

"_Well? What were they like?"_

"_He was really nice. We didn't talk much, but um… he did help me find some of my classes. He had short brown hair and brown eyes."_

"_What was his name?"_

"_K-Kiba."_

"What are you laughing at?" the boy demanded, snapping Naruto back to the present. He shook his head.

"Nothing," Naruto said , snorting to himself.

"You think my name is funny?" Kiba's brows raised as he leaned forward, making Naruto stopped immediately.

"No, no, no, no," he said quickly. What was he doing? He was supposed to be making friends, not enemies.

This was not going well.

"What then?"

"It's nothing, I am so sorry if I upset you in any way, I just want to make friends here and -"

"You're a pansy."

"- I am not trying to… Wait, excuse me?"

"You're a pansy," he repeated as-a-matter-of-factly. "A flower. A, for the lack of a better term, _wimp_."

Naruto's mouth was open and his brows were creased, his mouth forming incoherent words but no sound coming out. What… was going on? He barely knew this boy and he was calling him names?

"See?" he continued, chewing his sandwich casually. "Right about now is supposed to be the part when you stand up for yourself instead of sitting there looking like a retarded fish with your mouth open." Naruto pouted, offended. "Think I'm mean?" Kiba almost laughed. Naruto could barely nod before he kept talking. "No, no, not compared to some other people here. I'm actually doing you a favor." Naruto almost opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted again. "You need to toughen up if you are going to survive here without being eaten alive. You're Kyuubi I told you."

"Is this why people don't sit with you? Because you are so rude?" Naruto crossed his arms. The boy looked at him for a moment, as if he was about to retaliate, but stopped himself with a smile.

"There we go. That's what I'm talkin' about."

Naruto looked utterly confused, so Kiba cleared things up for him with a roll of the eyes.

"We just bonded in some weird form or fashion, so you know," he said nonchalantly, making Naruto laugh, not completely getting it. This was going to be a weird friendship, he could just tell.

* * *

"So… are you doing anything after school?" Kiba asked him when the final bell sounded, standing beside Naruto at his locker.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, giddy with excitement, making his new friend watch him quizzically. "I signed up to help tutor people in that tutoring program they just got! I'm so excited! I get to help the school on my second day!"

Kiba groaned loudly, shocking Naruto. Well, to be truthful, he was starting to get used to an outspoken, lazy friend. "You are one of those academic freaks? Oh, I should have known."

"I'm not a freak," Naruto said defensively, "I just love to help society! Is there something wrong with that?"

"Nerd," Kiba coughed into his hand. Naruto gaped.

"For your information, I am going to get an extra credit for this if I do it for a certain amount of time!" he lied, his voice going an octave higher.

"What did your voice just do?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"It just did it again."

"No, it didn't!"

"It did it _again_! Ha ha, is that what happens when you lie? Oh, that's hilarious!" Kiba chortled, laughing a laugh that was loud.

"If you _must_ know," he muttered, "yes, that's what I do when I lie. I can't help it."

"Well, I know that you will always be truthful," he smiled. "If you're not, I'll know."

"Shut up," Naruto laughed. "I've got to go. Guess I'll see you later?"

"Why not," Kiba responded, turning to leave. But he soon turned back to Naruto. "Be careful in there."

"… Seriously?" Naruto asked, eyes wide. Maybe Iruka _did_ know what he was talking about.

"Yeah," he nodded, face completely solemn. "Some people in there need help with school, some people in there need help with _life choices _and everything else." With that, he walked out of the door. Naruto sighed, uttering a quick prayer before walking to the room known as D6, that maybe didn't seem as cheery as before.

"Hi, are you a Mr. Uzumaki?" the man at the desk asked, eager. He looked around the empty room, confused.

"Uh, yes, sir," he nodded, looking around again. "Where is everyone? Weren't we all supposed to meet here? Am I in the right room?"

"Yes, ma'am, you are," he nodded, his voice restrained. The man seemed as if he was withholding something. "We, uh, actually had to cancel meeting in here… or technically meeting at all. One of the, uh, _athletic clubs_ had to meet suddenly and the, um, board said that they could have this room. So…" he grabbed a sheet of paper and handed it to him "… this is your person, and he is supposedly waiting outside. Sorry about the mix up."

"It's fine," Naruto managed to say before bolting out of the door. He? So it was a guy, huh? He couldn't wait to meet the person he would be helping to improve their life - at least inside of school. This was what he had been looking forward to all day long, and he could only hope that this person having trouble in school _wasn't_ trouble. Naruto rushed down the hallway, towards the school's entrance, ready to be of service. But a loud roaring made him stop in him tracks.

_Where have a heard that before?_ Naruto wondered, placing a hand on the clean glass of the door and slowly pushing it open. He peered around the door and to the stretch of road beside the sidewalk and saw the source of the noise. He gulped.

A large, gleaming, black and chrome motorcycle was there in front of him, it's noise only getting louder the closer he walked. Every fabric of Naruto's being told him to back away slowly before he was spotted, but for some unknown reason his legs propelled him towards the bike and it's rider. This was what Iruka had warned him about; _this_ exact kind of thing. Most of the kids who have trouble _are_ trouble, and he couldn't believe that he had been naïve enough to hope for anything more.

The person sitting _atop_ the bike was who he knew he would have to face, and so far it was not encouraging. The boy (if you could call him that) was tall, slender, but still sturdy. He was coolly chewing what he could only hope was gum, clad in a long-sleeve black leather jacket. His large, dark sunglasses covered his eyes and added to the reasons why Naruto wanted to immediately back into the school. He sighed heavily, impatiently, while scratching his dark hair. He revved the engine loudly, making it roar and Naruto flinched, clearly ready to leave and sparking his temper. Yet another reason for him to retreat. But he couldn't.

For some, horrible, unfair reason, his legs wouldn't let him leave. Stupid responsibility.

To Naruto's dismay, he finally realized that someone was approaching. At hearing footsteps, he turned his head and looked peeved, but when he caught sight of Naruto, his smile made his heart thump. And not in the good way. He could almost feel his eyes rake his body behind those shades, making him terribly uncomfortable and a little frightened. He stopped a _quite_ reasonable distance from him and the motorcycle, smiling hesitantly.

"Um, h-hi," he managed to stutter out, his knees unstable. He didn't talk to people like this. They were dangerous. This whole situation was dangerous! Was there even anyone around? What if…? No, he can't think that way.

"Hi," he repeated mockingly, smirking. Wait, that smirk looked familiar. Naruto tried to place it, but to no avail. He was still chewing his gum, smiling in a way that made chills crawl down his back"I-I'm Naruto. I'm your… uh, tutor," he stuttered out, a shaking hand reaching up and tucking hair behind his ear.

"_Naruto_?" he repeated, clarifying, his brows raising behind his sunglasses. "Nice name."

"T-thanks." He wished he would stop stuttering.

"So, _you_ are my tutor?" He sounded a little too happy for Naruto's liking. "I was expecting someone a little less… well, I think we'll get along fine." The comment was followed by more perverted smiling. Naruto pursed his lips.

But then the boy did something. He cut off his bike and reached to his face, slowly removing his shades. When the dark lenses were pulled away from his eyes, Naruto's nerves went into overdrive again. A pair of obsidian black eyes met his. Yet another wave of frustration swept through him. Those eyes… _where_ had he seen them? That smirk, too. When he noticed that Naruto was staring, a flash of devilish glee was in his dark orbs.

Suddenly, he remembered.

"Look, babe," the boy his age came close to him, causing Naruto to tense up. He was really starting to wish he had remembered to bring pepper spray or something with him. He placed a hand on Naruto's lower arm, making him wince and shiver. He noticed and smirked, the smug look appearing to be familiar to him, "you're obviously new around here, we'll pretend that you didn't say that since you're new, but we don't get talked to like that. Especially by…" he seemed to stop himself before he continued, since it was obvious every second that Naruto was shrinking back into the happy, innocent Naruto he usually was. "…Just _don't_."

He could almost hear the sound of his yelping Kyuubi.

Suddenly, to the guy's confusion, Naruto backed even further away from him, looking angry and even more frightened than before, staring at him with hatred. His finger was pointed at him as he screamed.

"Dog-kicker!"

At first he seemed absolutely clueless, but then it seemed as if he was looking at _Naruto's_ face for the first time, and his perverted smile faded away and his brows knitted and he looked even more dangerous than before. He scowled, pointing also.

"Crazy dog-lover!"

Naruto's anger faded as he continued to stare at him with that scary look in his eyes. He didn't have much guts or determination without a dog there to defend. Naruto instantly started to formulate escape plans in his mind, like maybe running into the school and screaming for help or kicking him where no guy likes to be kicked. This was not going the way he had planned.

"You… you just stay a-away from m-me," Naruto said weakly, clutching his books to him as he slowly stepped off of his motorcycle and began to walk towards him. The dark look was still in his eyes, making Naruto start to back towards the school doors. He quickened his pace and out-walked Naruto, grabbing him by the hem of his shirt and pulling Naruto to him, close. Naruto whimpered, wincing with his eyes closed tightly and his books clutched to his chest. He had never been so frightened in his life.

"Relax," he said, almost annoyed, "I'm not gonna do anything!" Naruto slowly opened his eyes, gulping at their proximity. His body language sure didn't apply that he 'wasn't going to do anything'. Naruto unwillingly looked up at him for a moment. "We're on campus. What makes you think I'd be stupid enough to try something here?"

Naruto refused to say anything, not able to find his voice.

"Look, we are just going to get something straight. On Wednesdays, I'm gonna go off with my friends, ride my bike, do whatever I want to do. You are going to tell people that you are tutoring me, whoever asks. I didn't sign up for this. So, you got it?"

Naruto cleared his throat weakly, staring at the ground.

"What makes you think I'll do that?" he asked, surprisingly finding his voice. "_I_ am supposed to be helping you with your courses. I can't just _lie_ -"

"You will if I tell you to," he cut Naruto off, his hand moving to a grip on Naruto's wrist. "I'm not doing this tutoring _shit_." Naruto was instantly afraid again. "And you're not going to tell anyone. You are the only one who knows, so if I get in trouble for it, I'll know _you_ told. And… well… I think you know that _that_ isn't cool with me." Naruo didn't respond. "Got it?"

He nodded his head vigorously, keeping his eyes on the ground. His hold on Naruto's wrist didn't disappear, but loosened very quickly, almost as if he was afraid he was gripping too hard. Neither of them were saying anything, but Naruto didn't stop looking at the ground, and he didn't release Naruto, nor did he move any further away from him. Naruto's heart was beating so fast that it almost hurt, and he was almost positive that he could feel his pulse in his wrist. He almost released Naruto's wrist entirely. It was an awkward silence, but he didn't seem to mind.

He finally released Naruto's wrist, Naruto stepping away instantly, the guy watching him. He started backing towards his bike, still watching him humorously, knowing it was making him uncomfortable and smirking at it. Naruto pouted but didn't say a word, still scared of him for the most part. He said two simple words, as if that made up for the emotional rollercoaster he had just put Naruto through.

"I'm Sasuke," he winked, smiling suggestively again and making Naruto scowl. He hopped on his bike, cranked it, and sped away loudly, popping a wheelie for the heck of it. Naruto watched as he raced off, not looking back, and sat down on a nearby bench shakily. Naruto took deep, even breaths and thought everything over that had just happened. So, apparently, Iruka was right. Maybe tutoring here _wasn't_ such a great idea. But, technically, he wasn't tutoring at all. He was just lying by _telling_ anyone who asked that he was being tutored so he could go on living his messed up life and Naruto could live with a guilty conscience.

How could he be so… so… _vulgar_? He just wouldn't stop staring at him like a pervert. He just wouldn't stop smiling like a pervert. He just couldn't stop acting like such a… a… dirty biker! He was just so disgusting! And rude! And perverted! And such… an asshole! How could anyone act like that _on purpose_?

So, he was just supposed to sit around and tell no one about this? What if Iruk asked? What if Kiba wanted to know how it went? What if one of the teachers asked him? Worse yet, what if his grades didn't improve and people started noticing? He was going to be mad at Naruto when he didn't even say anything! How was he supposed to control that? Unless he suddenly started trying in school (which Naruto seriously doubted) how was _he_ supposed to get around it? The program was a sign-up program, so if he didn't sign himself up, then who did? His parents? They would start noticing and blame Naruto for doing a horrible job, when little do they know that their son was practically threatening his tutor _not_ to tutor him! What would this do toNaruto's reputation? Not that he really had one here yet, but _still_! He was Naruto Uzumaki, and Naruto Uzumaki was _not_ a bad tutor! He was helpful and he was a ray of sunshine that made _everyone's_ life better!

He was starting to think that eventually he might have to add a new rule: Naruto Uzumaki helped everyone, even people who _didn't_ want to be helped!

… But when he would get the nerve to go up to him and say that, he never knew.

Naruto Uzumaki was also not a confrontational person, or the type of person who stood up to anyone for anything unless it was for something extremely important or dear to his heart. Kiba himself had said that would be problem if NAruto wanted to survive here, and he was starting to see what he meant. But he had no idea _how_ are _why_ anyone had to be confrontational all of the time.

He just couldn't shake the dark eyes that… _Sasuke_ would have when he was angry or aggravated. It scared him out of his mind; and he could tell it didn't matter how much he was around him (which according to him would be never, unless _he_ got something out of it) the look would always shake him. This Sasuke guy and his friends were not very tolerant of others if they didn't agree with them.

Oh, God, his _friends. _Naruto seriously doubted that they would be as kind (if you could use that word) as Sasuke when it came to his personal space and/or safety. And he was sure the only reason he was intact, just shaken, at the moment was because they were right beside a building full of teachers. But his friends; that frightening red-head, the fit blondish-gray haired , and the obvious leader of their little gang: the long haired, smoking, serial… something-looking pot head. They'd come onto Naruto without thinking twice, _especially_ if somehow it was just them and Naruto… alone. He hated to think that way, shivering.

Naruto was jolted out of his thoughts by the honking of a car horn.

"Naruto!" Iruka shouted through the rolled down passenger window. "Naruto! C'mon, let's go!"

"Oh! Coming," he answered, trying to not act shaken as he took a seat beside Iruka, but it was too late. He was already suspicious.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Iruka said worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" Naruto desperately hoped that Iruka didn't notice his voice spike.

"Did you meet your person today? For your tutoring session?"

"Yeah."

Silence.

"…And?"

"He was really -"

"It's a _he_? Naruto, what just happened? Did he do this to you? What did he do? Are you hurt?"

"No, Iruka, I'm perfectly fine! _He's_ fine!"

Iruka looked him up and down. "It sure doesn't _look_ like he's fine! Naruto, I haven't seen you look this shaken up since you threw up on the rollercoaster at Six Flags. You're as pale as paper. Now, _what happened_?"

"Nothing 'happened', I swear," he lied, his fear of Sasuke the biker keeping his voice steady. "He, I will admit, Iruka, is a little… _rough_ around the edges, but it's nothing I can't handle." Lies, lies, lies, lies.

Iruka watched him, his eyes narrowed. "What's he like?"

"_Iruka_, I told you, he's fine -"

"NO, Naruto, I just want to know. I _want to know_. Tell me what he's like."

Naruto shut his eyes tightly, rubbing his temples before blurting out whatever came into his head. "He's rude. But I think that he has, uh, hope."

"Hope?"

"Yeah. Like, maybe while I'm, um, _tutoring_ him," he said the word with disdain, but Iruka was too intent on the boy's description to notice, "some of my manners can rub off on him." He flashed Iruka with a big smile, full of effort.

"What's his name?"

"Sasuke."

"_Sasuke_. Hmm. Sounds like he would be a little pompous."

_That is not an accurate word_, Naruto thought with a roll of his eyes.

"He's rude, okay," Iruka nodded. "What else?"

"He's… um… stubborn," Naruto continued, restraining himself from saying much more.

"What kind of family does he come from?"

Naruto could only imagine what parents raised _that_, but he said nothing. "I have no idea."

"When are you guys going to meet? Will there be people around?"

"On Wednesdays. And _yes_, Iruka, of course!"

"Okay…" Iruka compromised, nodding his head and looking back at the road. They came to a red light, the car coming to a gentle stop. Naruto's Iruka turned to Naruuto, to ask one more question. He internally groaned. "You seem to have plenty of complaints about this Sasuke guy. Is there anything _good_ about him?" Naruto was shocked on this change of direction for the question. He didn't know what to say that was good about the biking pervert that scared him out of his wits. But he would much rather comfort Iruka with some good things than say, 'nothing'.

"Sasuke… uh…" he raked his mind. "He's…" the idea came to his mind, and he was actually embarrassed for thinking this was true. Of course, the pervert out-ruled this quality, but he supposed it was a shame it was wasted. "Sasuke is _really_…" he looked at Iruka with his brows raised, blushing slightly, ashamed. "Gorgeous."

"Ah," his brows raised too, smiling the smallest smile. "And just how 'gorgeous' is he? On a scale of…one to tenn?" Naruto rolled his eyes.

"He's a 10.5," he said feebly.

"OH," Iruka grinned. "What does he look like?"

Naruto decided to completely blow this over the top, knowing he would have to laugh about this later when he was alone. He put a hand to his heart. "Oh, Iruka," he pretended to faint, making Iruka chuckle. "He has dark black that sticks out at the back, he's tall and slim, but he's _fit_. And his face is gorgeous. I can't find a flaw anywhere. His teeth are white and straight, his lips are so full, and his _eyes_. Oh my gosh. They are this midnight black that just glows."

"Interesting," Iruka joked.

"And he has this smirk that he's always wearing, and it's so -"

"Hot?"

"Yep," Naruto said as-a-matter-of-factly. He tried so hard not to burst into laughter, knowing how much he was _lying_. "But he's rude and stubborn and…" he chose his words carefully "…rough."

"Got ya," Iruka nodded, pushing the gas pedal. He couldn't help himself, though. "Be careful, Naruto. _Be careful_."

"Alright."

_Trust me, Iruka, I will. It'll always be the only thing on my mind_, Naruto thought, sighing as they rode towards home.

* * *

"So, who did you get as a tutoree?" Kiba's voice floated to Naruto's ear from the cell phone's speaker. Naruto sighed and slammed back on his bed, flashes of Sasuke in his mind: the darkness of his eyes, the perverted smile, the motorcycle popping a wheelie. It was like one big, but brief nightmare.

"I don't think you want to know," Naruto said weakly, running a hand through the hair that wasn't strewn across his pillow. "I'm starting to wish that _I_ didn't know. I'm actually starting to wish that I hadn't even signed up for this in the first place."

"Whoa, whoa, tell me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't sound right coming out of your mouth," his new friend sounded surprised.

"It _isn't_!" Naruto cried unhappily, quickly covering his mouth, afraid Iruka might have heard. "I don't do things like that, Kiba. I don't _say_ things like that! I am always so dedicated to the education of my fellow students, but -"

"Okay, okay, I know, nerd."

"I'm _not_ a nerd!"

"But you're a very _hot_ nerd. There. That better?" he tried to compromise.

"Kiba, I'm not a nerd! I just love helping people. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, but you _do_ show dork-like… _qualities_…"

"No way -"

"But it's okay, because you are one of those few people who are nerds but are good-looking! Can you not tell that by the way guys and even girls have been making moves on you left and right since you've gotten here? You're fine, Naruto."

Silence.

"Now, tell me who you got."

"I really don't think I should tell you," he shook his head, but he knew that his friend couldn't see him over the phone. So instead, he settled for groaning. "You'll go off on me like Iruka."

"That can't be good," Kiba muttered. "Can I guess, then?"

"Sure."

"Is it Gaara Sabaku?" he pitched.

"Who's that?"

"I'll take that as a no. How about Sai?"

"No idea who that is," Naruto said, bewildered.

"That would be another no. Okay," Kiba continued, "I'll guess what 'group' they are in, how about that?"

"Go ahead," Naruto sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Um, gangster?"

"Nope."

"Football jock?"

"No," he shook his head, turning on his television the movers recently moved on top of his dresser. He flipped through channels as his friend continued to guess randomly.

"Goth?" was about his fifth guess.

"No. Think the same color clothes, though."

"So, I'm getting that they are _bad_?"

"Of course! Otherwise I wouldn't be talking about _quitting_ it! Well, if he has it his way, it's over already," Naruto mumbled unhappily. He glanced out the window nervously, almost scared he would see the dangerous, precariously dark eyes staring back at him.

"Oh, it's a _guy_! What's so bad about a guy? If any guy came near me, I wouldn't care. Heck, I'd be happy!"

Naruto sighed heavily. He just didn't understand. If he knew that Naruto's tutoree was a potential felon or future offender, he'd think a little differently.

"But he isn't just _any_ guy," Naruto tried to explain without totally going into complete detail.

"Tell me this," Kiba continued determinedly. "Is he hot?"

"Well… yes, but -"

"No, there are no 'buts'! He's smokin'. Makes him even more dangerous, sounds like."

"I guess so," Naruto sighed. He finally stopped aimlessly flipping TV channels and kept it on HBO. Naruto almost jumped when he heard something drop heavily on the other side of the phone.

"Crap," he heard Kiba mutter. "Sorry, dropped something. _Okay_, tell me what kind of car he drives."

"Doesn't have one," Naruto answered. It technically wasn't true, it was a _motorcycle_. Or death traps on wheels, as he liked to think of it.

"What kind of money does 'dangerous Mr. Good Looking' come from?"

"No idea. But I'd guess they… didn't have much."

"You aren't giving me _anything_ to work with, Jesus! Why don't you just tell me who it is?"

"Remember what you told me before you left yesterday?" Naruto groaned, watching motorcycles ride by in the movie he was watching (which he had no idea what it was). He heard a long sigh of acknowledgement on the other end.

"_Oooh,_yeah, I do."

"He applies to that. Like _100%_ applies."

"Uh oh."

"Is that not what I've been trying to get across to you for the past ten minutes?" he chuckled, trying to lift his own spirits even though he knew it was quite hopeless.

"Uh oh. _Uh_ oh. Uh _oh._Okay, when you say '100% applies', do you mean -?

"Yes, Kiba," he said meekly. "He is… _really_ bad."

"Oh God. Not good."

"At all."

"That's right, Naruto. At all." There was a long pause. "This could be dangerous, Naruto. I'm not kidding. There are bad people in the school, then there are the _bad_ people in the school, if you catch my drift."

"I think I do," he gulped.

"If you have one of the _bad_ people in the school, especially a guy, _especially_especially a HOT guy; get another partner."

"Well, he scared me into not tutoring him and just telling people that I was," Naruto tried to find the hope in the situation. "So I won't really be seeing him any."

"He _threatened_ you?" his voice was low. "What did he say? He didn't… _do_ anything, did he?"

"No! Well… I thought he was, but no! He didn't _do_ anything to me. Just scared the living daylight out of me."

"What -?"

"Oh my God, Kiba, he said that if I told anyone he'd know! Because I was the only person he'd talked to about it! Oh no! You can't tell _anyone_ that he intimidated me into lying. You can _not_. He'll…" Naruto could picture him riding up on his black bike, climbing off with that deadly look of anger in his eyes, directed right at him. Fear rushed through him like a tidal wave. "Just… _please_ don't say anything to _anyone_."

"Naruto, I'm worried about this!"

"No, don't -"

"If he _threatened_ you, Naruto, and I mean _threatened_ you, then you need to tell someone! This can't go on!" Kiba exclaimed.

"He didn't say he'd hit me or anything!" he tried to downsize the situation at hand.

"What _did_ he say?"

"He just said that 'it was not cool with him. And that would not be good.' Then he gave me this… _look_…"

"If he's not a gangster, or not a Goth… Naruto Uzumaki, be honest with me."

"…"

"Is it…? Is it a Leatherhead?"

"Conzuntite?"

Kiba groaned, and Naruto could almost see him rolling his eyes. "Is it a _biker_, Naruto?" His voice was quiet.

"Uh…"

"_Naruto_…"

"Yes!"

An extremely long moment of silence passed between them, and Naruto had to constantly keep looking at his screen to make sure Kiba hadn't hung up. When his friend finally spoke up again, his voice was a different tone. Restrained. Careful. Quiet.

"Which one?"

"Sasuke."

An almost longer silence than the first tainted the air.

"Okay."

"'Okay?' Is that all you have to say?"

"Naruto, stay away from him." The tone of voice almost sounded scary. "You couldn't have gotten stuck with someone in a worse group, but you probably got the nicest or second nicest guy out of his little 'biker gang'." Naruto almost couldn't believe it. If Sasuke was the nice one, he didn't even want to picture the others. "Even in elementary, he was always a class clown and a trouble-maker. But starting in about eighth grade… he met a Senior. About the worst Senior you could get involved with. Along with his little Junior cronies." That must be the group he saw at the gas station. "And it wasn't good, Naruto. Went downhill from there. Starting about ninth grade, rumors started circling around about what he did after school… what he did on the weekends. He luckily wasn't around when his buddies got caught with some Weed, but nobody doubts and he doesn't deny partaking. His friends have had several drug charges against them, but they never seem to be sent off to the Big House. Always find some way out of it. Nobody knows how." Naruto sat there in complete silence, the TV seemingly non-existent. He was holding onto every word, horrified. Kiba continued.

"And…" he seemed to gulp, "… starting in about tenth grade, he was caught smoking." This shocked Naruto. Unlike his fellow bikers, his breath didn't smell and his teeth weren't yellow. "But he doesn't do it much. I think that's why he somehow manages to not smell like smoke all of the time and have white teeth. And… uh… I don't really like saying this part." Naruto almost didn't want to hear, but some part of him had to know more. "Right after Christmas in tenth grade, about halfway through the year, people started talking about… well… the _guys_ were looking at him like a god; it was gross, really… not only the things he'd say and do, but… what he started doing to _girls and boys_." Naruto gasped, and Kiba backtracked. "No, no, Naruto, he didn't _rape_ anyone, calm down. Whatever he did, I'm sure it was mutual. And with some sluts who had no problem with it."

"Oh." He sighed in relief. Well, he couldn't say what he was hearing didn't faze him. But he was glad to hear nothing was 'forced'.

"_But_ -" Uh oh. "- that doesn't mean that I would put that past him, Naruto. He's only gotten worse. All of that was two years ago. No telling what he's done and _is_ doing now. That's another reason to _stay away_." Naruto whimpered. "I'm not going to lie. You are extremely hot."

"Aw, Kiba -"

"So it makes it even more _dangerous_ for you. He's going to be attracted to you like a magnet, and unlike the other people he's interested in, you're not going to give him what he wants. And… most likely, that will make him mad. And he'll want it even more." Naruto's smile was wiped clear. "So, on the off chance you are ever around each other, I cannot stress this enough. _Do. Not. Be. Alone._"

Naruto almost couldn't speak, his body shaking.

"W-wow."

"And keep in mind what I said," Kiba said quietly, almost like he was afraid if he spoke loud enough they'd show up. "He's the _nicest_ out of that group. So never ever go near his friends, Naruto. Sasuke is a dangerous, crazed, temperamental dog only bound to a wall by a thin rope. His friends are rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth dogs running around free and you don't have a gun. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Naruto's mouth was hung open, his knees curled up to his chest. He was practically rocking back and forth, staring out of his window.

"Naruto?"

He pictured the dark-haired bad boy, smiling devilishly as he came closer to him. They were alone in a dark alley. The only sound he could hear was the barking of distant dogs somewhere, and crickets chirping. It was dark and cold. A single light that was old and forgotten illuminated the cranny alone, flickering every now and then as if it couldn't decide if it wanted to go out or not. Suddenly, in a flash, he was an inch away from him and he was too terrified to scream. He pulled the hem of his shirt to close the distance between them like he had the day before. And suddenly, the light went out.

"Naruto? Are you there? Did you hang up on me?"

"Oh, no! N-no. I'm h-here."

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah."

"You don't sound okay. Naruto, don't let what I said freak you out. As long as you don't hang around him, you'll be fine. _Stick with me_, and you'll be fine. Okay?" There was an encouraging smile in his voice.

"Alright," Naruto took a deep breath. "Thanks for the nightmares for tonight, though."

Kiba laughed. "It's not real. Calm down. Don't get near him and you'll be good. Just lie and do what he told you."

"Okay. Bye. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Naruto."

He heard the cell hang up and he slammed back onto his pillow, sighing with his eyes shut tight. He had never felt so terrified in his entire life. Worse than the roller coaster at Six Flags! How did he get into this situation? _Why_ did he have to get into this situation? All he ever wanted to do was help the student body, and this is what he gets? A potentially dangerous, crazed biker who had nothing in mind except… things _he_ definitely wasn't comfortable thinking about? Was God punishing him for something?

_Why_ would fate do this to him?

As if leaving your friends, family, and whole life behind and moving somewhere where you knew _no one_ wasn't hard enough, this had to be added on? Really? Did He think this was funny?

Naruto heard a knock on his door, jolting him out of his self-pitying session. Iruka peered in, and he tried his best to come off as smiley like always. Iruka looked excited, letting Naruto know that he had not overheard anything he shouldn't have and was coming in to discuss it. Iruka sat down at the foot of her Naruto's bed, smiling largely.

"I have something I need to tell you," he gushed to Naruto, clasping his hands together. "Soon, I'm going to have a little party and invite all of my friends from work over! They'll get to see the house, meet you…" He trailed off as Kyuubi jumped up on Naruto's bed, obediently plopping down in Naruto's lap. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Awesome!" he grinned enthusiastically, truly happy that Iruka was happy. "Are they nice?"

"It seems like it!" Iruka smiled. He frowned slightly. "There is one woman who seems like she _may_ be the two-faced type, but I'm not trying to pass any judgments before I know her. But I'll be friends with her, I'll do my best!"

"Oh, Iruka, look at you! Making friends and having a little get-together," Naruto chuckled, playfully hitting Iruka's arm. "I'm sure it'll go great and they'll all love it!"

"Thanks for the support, sweetie. So… how are things going with you?" he asked curiously. "Are you ever planning on inviting anyone over? How about that… Kiba boy, was it?"

Naruto tried not to laugh as he thought of the incident yesterday at lunch with names. "I think I'll invite him over sometime, Iruka. Don't know when, but sometime."

"Okay," the right corner of his mouth pulled up. He looked at Naruto for a moment, making him a little self-conscious. " I'm sorry if I ever seem like I'm nosey or ask to many questions or if I'm overprotective."

_You need to be protective with what I have going on now_, Naruto thought frantically.

"I just really want you to be happy here and make friends."

"It's totally cool, Iruka. I understand," Naruto nodded sincerely. he did actually understand it now, what with the dangers suddenly presented in his life that Iruka knew could come, but he didn't listen. Why didn't he listen again? Oh yeah, because he thought that 'he could get to the soft, sweet side of anybody'. Now he was starting to see that that was beginning to be a load of baloney. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Iruka began scrutinizing him.

"And… I want you to know that if _anything_ is ever bothering you, you can come talk to me about it." He looked Naruto straight in the eye, and Naruto did exactly what he always did. He put on a straight face and nodded. But he couldn't tell Iruka. Not now. He'd go insane and would never let him sign up for anything ever again. "Good night." Iruka got up and went to the door frame, turning around and smiling. "I love you."

"'Night," he returned, grinning. "Love you, too." Iruka took one last look at Naruto before shutting the door softly.

_Lord, let fate change_, Naruto prayed before turning out the lights and lying down to sleep.

But He always has a plan. And, unfortunately, taking Sasuke out of the equation was not part of it.

* * *

**Well, thank you guys for reading and please don't forget to leave a review! The next update will be from Friday to Sunday so sometime then I will update!**

Review Responses:

Yaoiforever: I'm glad you're still liking it, thankyou!

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